By Tim Ubels (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: April 10, 2013
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime. ”
– Babe Ruth
There comes a point in a hockey player’s career when he has to come to terms with his role on a team. Whether it’s a former star player accepting a minimized role on the team’s bottom six forwards or a defenceman who sits in the press box more than he suits up for games, players have to realize that whatever’s best for the team’s overall success has to be taken into consideration when management makes decisions.
For Heat forward Ben Walter, his horizons probably don’t extend further than the AHL anymore. Son of Ryan Walter, the Abbotsford Heat’s current President and NHL veteran of over 1000 games, Ben joined up with the club last season in order to bring stability to the Heat’s scoring lines. Centering everyone from Roman Horak and Sven Baertschi to Blair Jones, he is one of the only constants on the team’s top line. He sees his line mates, usually touted prospects for the Flames, get shuffled around, called up and demoted while he remains with the Heat.
He has yet to see time with the Flames in the two years he’s spent with the Abbotsford club.
Walter, who turned pro in 2005, began his career with the Boston Bruins; however, he only saw 10 NHL games in total with the Bruins organization, spending much of two seasons with their minor league affiliate the Providence Bruins. It isn’t unusual for young prospects to get a few short stints with the NHL club in order for the team’s management to get a chance to assess how a young player’s development is progressing. But for Walter, he’s only seen 24 games total at the NHL level in his entire career thus far, with only one goal over that span.
After moving on from the Providence lineup, the native of Beaconsfield, Quebec, played for three other AHL clubs—Bridgeport, Lowell and Lake Erie—before finding a home on Abbotsford’s top line in 2011. While his NHL numbers have failed to impress, Walter has been a top-notch player for every AHL team’s he’s suited up for. Accumulating 454 points over 561 games in the AHL, Walter has continually received the praise of his coaches.
After Friday night’s loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins, Heat coach Troy G. Ward praised Walter’s attitude both on and off the ice:
“He’s been a real good story for the Abbotsford Heat.”
Ward spoke further about Walter’s glowing traits.
“He’s been a consummate pro on and off the ice. He shows up every night, usually on the score sheet in some fashion. He’s one of our leaders. He leads the guys by example. He’s a father. He’s a husband. He’s a good man.”
This kind of praise, especially after a tough loss that likely spelled the end of the Heat’s playoff hopes, speaks wonders to Ward’s opinion of Walter, his accomplishments, and what it means to have him playing alongside the younger players on the Heat.
After collecting an assist on the Krys Kolanos goal during the Heat’s 4-1 loss on Friday night, Ben was asked about his current streak of six straight seasons with 50 points, and whether or not the potential of a seventh straight season weighed on him, responding by saying:
“I don’t really think about it … It’s something maybe in the summer or when my career’s done I’ll be able to look at but, you know for now it’s about getting wins. If I can score points to help us get wins, then that’s what I’m aiming for.”
Putting the streak out of his mind and focusing on what’s best for the team is what we’ve come to except from Ben Walter. His leadership and attitude towards his team’s overall success can be described as exemplary. He’s always made sure that his personal achievements are in alignment with the overall success of the Heat organization.
